PARIS (Reuters) --- Visionary 19th century French writer
Jules Verne once described a fantastical future world where cars
would run on air.

He may not have been totally wrong.

Inventor, car enthusiast and environmentalist Guy Negre has
built a car powered by compressed air and hopes it will be
chuffing along roads across the world within the next few years.

Inside Negre's car, cold air compressed in tanks to 300 times
atmospheric pressure is heated and fed into the cylinders of a
piston engine.

No combustion takes place, so there is no pollution. In fact,
says Negre, the air from the exhaust pipe is cleaner than the
air that goes in, thanks to an internal filter.

The car can be refilled with air at home using an electric
compressor and Negre hopes that, one day, drivers will be able
to recharge the cars in filling stations in three minutes for as
little as three dollars.

The air car, which he says will cost 6,800 euros ($6,700),
looks a little like DaimlerChrysler's easy-to-park Smart city
car, with one row of seats wide enough for three and a curved,
pod-like front end.

"We needed an alternative to the gas-guzzling norm so I decided
to make one," the former Formula 1 racing engineer told Reuters
at the Paris motor show, where his toy-like run-around nestled
among the latest sports cars.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Negre, who has been working on the car for 10 years, admits it
sounds too good to be true. But he says scores of industry
insiders who first scoffed at his invention had been sidling up
to his stand for a closer look.

Some point out that, although the car itself pumps out no
pollutants, the electricity needed to compress the air still
comes from power stations that spew fumes or leave behind
hazardous nuclear waste.

Another big obstacle to making electric cars commercially is
that, despite decades of research, they still need refuelling
far more often than conventional petrol models. Some experts say
there is no reason why the "air car" should be any different.

"The concept of a car driven by air is not totally ridiculous,"
said John Wormald at the Autopolis consultancy, adding that
air-powered locomotives were used to help dig Alpine railway
tunnels to avoid pumping out toxic fumes.

"But as with all these wonderful ideas, the problem is how much
energy density can you fit into a tank," Wormald said. "The
car's range will likely be small and I can't see it taking off."

Negre says his CityCAT car runs for a maximum of around 10
hours at low speed before it needs refuelling. He insists this
is not a problem as drivers will be able to recharge at home.

Wormald said that would be impossible for anyone without a
private garage or a space in a parking lot.

Sceptics might wonder whether the big oil firms will be keen to
equip their filling stations with a new technology that spurns
petrol for air.

TOWN, NOT COUNTRY

Negre admitted that the CityCAT -- which he says has a top
speed of around 110 km an hour -- will work only as a city car
and agrees he will probably not persuade motoring enthusiasts to
give up their Mercedes and BMW speed machines just yet.

"It's not a real alternative to the standard car," he said.
"It's an urban vehicle that we will market mainly as a second
car, targeting mainly women who tend to go for smaller vehicles
that they use for short distances."

Wormald reckons the business model is flawed.

"The problem is that people just don't want to buy cars they
can only use to drive round towns. They might not bomb off to
the country every weekend but they like to know that they can if
they want," he said.

But Negre, who describes himself as a motorist who also cares
about the state of the planet, rather than an all-out
environmentalist, insists the air-powered car is the first
viable alternative to conventional petrol-powered vehicles.

"I'm a firm believer that the car means freedom and people will
not give up freedom, no matter what it's doing to the
environment," he said. "So the only way to save the planet is to
come up with a car that doesn't wreck it."

Conventional vehicles running on fossil fuels still emit a
tenth of the man-made carbon dioxide which has been blamed for
abnormal climate patterns and a host of natural disasters.

Rather than selling the cars directly, Negre's company Motor
Development International offers investors a factory package
containing the machinery needed to build the cars.

"We aim to have the first CAT on the road by mid-2003, with the
first on sale toward the end of 2004," said Negre.

He said MDI had already sold 32 of the small factories and was
hoping to swell the total to 300 in the next few years. Each
factory would produce 4,000 cars a year.
"The technology is all there," Negre said. "Now all we need is
time and money to get the factories up and running."

"June 2001: Availability of the first vehicles in South Africa
is still on stream for 2003. The commencement of the
construction of the Gauteng production facility is planned to
coincide with the successful SABS commercial homologation of the
pre-series vehicles arriving from France in November 2001.

Pre-series vehicles are currently in production at the Carros
plant in France. These are being built to EC regulatory
standards and form the basis of stock to be sent to each
participating region (eg. Mexico, Australia, Italy, Spain and
more) at the end of the year. Each region uses these vehicles
for regional homologation and project start-up. The second and
model plant is already under contruction adjacent to the first
production facility and is due for completion in October 2001.
The model plant will be the basis for plant design in all
regions, the home of technical skills transfer and a source of
product for local sales."

Motor Development International ( 10/5/00 ) ~

We will start producing pre series in Nice France by early next
year. We plan to start production in Nice 2nd half next year and
production in the U.S. 2nd half year 2002.

The prices (subject to change) are $ 13,000 for the pick up, $
14,000 for the Van and $ 15,000 for the taxi/passenger minivan
version.

Regarding dealership: MDI has created a unique business model
in the Car industry. Instead of building a large centralized
facility to manufacture 150,000 to 200,000 vehicles, we intend
to build 100's of small facilities that will produce 2,000
vehicles per shift near the point of consumption which are the
large cities as our vehicles are for urban application. These
factories will be doing their own selling direct to customers
and/or via the internet.

MDI has been selling to investors a right of priority for the
setting-up of a facility to manufacture zero pollution vehicles
as per MDI patents. The right of priority is for a given
territory. A population of 2.5 million people defines a
territory. For example a city of 5 million people, there will be
two facilities. The same investor can purchase the two
facilities but shall always be the subject of a separate
contract for a definite territory.

The right for a specific zone costs US $ 300,000. This amount
will give you the right to hold up to 30% of equity for a
specific plant. Each plant will cost US $10 million. MDI Inc.
will hold the other 70%. By the time we will start building the
plant, you will have to invest an additional US $ 2,700,000 to
cover your 30% of the US $ 10 million do investment.

If you are interested, you can send you a copy of our
Reservation of Zone contract for our turnkey factories together
with our business plan. For Individual investors who are
interested to participate in our project, we have devised
another investment vehicle. The minimum investment is 10 000
dollars at 100 dollars a unit which will equal to 1/10th of 1%
of each individual plant. (Each plant will issue 100,000 units)
The units will be issued to no specific site, which will be
decided based on best opportunities at the time of the
construction. Based on our estimates, for every 1/10% of 1% of
one production unit, the investment will be paid back in year 4
and thereafter a yearly revenue stream of over US $ 7,000
representing an IRR of over 40%.

After more than thirty years experience with combustion
engines, the French engineer Guy Negre has developed a concept
of a totally non-polluting engine for use in urban areas.

This invention, which uses high pressure (300 bar) compressed
air to store the energy needed for running the engine, is
protected world-wide by more than 20 patents owned by MDI.

In urban areas, the engine powers a five-seat vehicle with a
range of approximately 200 km using 300 litres of compressed air
(300 bar) stored in either carbon or glass fibre tanks.

The recharge of the compressed air tanks is done by a
compressor driven by an electric motor connected to a standard
electric outlet. A rapid recharge, using a high-pressure air
pump, is also possible.

The MDI patents cover not only the basic principal of the
utilisation of power generated by the release of cold compressed
air into a hot air chamber, but also the means of making it
economically feasible. For this purpose, the conventional
cylinders, pistons and connecting-rods have been redesigned.
Systems for the recuperation of energy have been developed as
well as a new power transmission assembly.

To demonstrate the viability of the concept, three prototype
vehicles equipped with air, mono-energy, engines were developed.
A taxi called "TOP" (Taxi zerO Pollution), a delivery van and a
pickup truck were built. In May 1998, the first road tests of
these prototypes were done in Brignoles, France. The news media
have expressed a great interest in the zero pollution concept.
Since May 1998, the taxi "TOP" has been the subject of more than
35 television programmes and several hundred newspaper and
magazine articles around the world.

The potential market for the "clean engine" concept is immense:
e.g., vehicles such as taxis, buses, vans, delivery trucks,
industrial warehouse tractors, golf buggies, lake or canal boats
and many other applications in which fixed engines are primarily
used in urban or restricted areas.

A version of the MDI engine can, in addition to air, also
function with the use of traditional fuel; petrol, diesel,
natural or town gas, at very low consumption levels. The change
of source of energy is handled electronically based on the speed
of the vehicle; e.g. below 60 km/h it runs on air and at higher
speeds it runs on fuel. The compressed air tanks are recharged
while the engine is running on fuel, using a built-in
mini-compressor activated by breaking and deceleration. It is
also possible to recharge the air tanks in 2 - 3 minutes at a
compressed air filling station.

To manage the development process successfully, MDI has
contracted its product research and development activities to
CQFD Air Solution, a company based in Brignoles, France. Here,
under the direction of Guy Negre, some 20 engineers and
technicians have at their disposal the most modern equipment for
engine and vehicle development, testing and production,
supported by the latest in information technology.

Until now, the main activities of this group have been to
perfect the engine and vehicle prototypes. At the end of 1998,
in parallel with vehicle certification activities and the
manufacture of the engines, a technical-commercial team was set
up, responsible for marketing the MDI concept.

As soon as the MDI engines and vehicles are commercially viable
(within 1-3 years, depending on the version) they will have a
market, with very limited competition, if any, for an estimated
period of 10-15 years.

Certain manufacturers have invested heavily in electric cars -
generally recommended by public authorities as being the
solution to urban air pollution. However, electric cars are
largely ignored by the public due to high cost, limited range,
long recharge time and the negative effects of battery
replacement, pollution and a difficult recycling process.

Another technique, which has consumed considerable investment,
consists of powering vehicles by fuel cells. Professionals
agree, that this technique is still far from being adapted to
mass production, remains very expensive, is heavy and
complicated and uses fuels which are, in general, dangerous and
difficult to store.

When the first applications of the MDI mono-energy engine have
demonstrated the viability of the new concept, the air and fuel,
bi-energy, engine will be introduced to major car manufacturers
in order to study its adaptation for their common models. The
engine will be produced by the manufacturers within their
existing structures. The engine is significantly lighter than a
traditional engine, it is less expensive to produce, maintain
and utilise, it uses and pollutes less when it runs on fuel and
is totally pollution free when it runs on air.

The different versions of MDI engines provide the most
comprehensive answer to the urban pollution problem: simple,
economic and inoffensive.

The commercial strategy is currently concentrated on the urban
markets, with products including taxis, delivery vans and pickup
trucks.

Based on a new concept of local vehicle production and sales,
MDI promote regional manufacturing license rights in the form of
franchised turnkey factory systems. Such a turnkey factory will
have a normal production capacity of 2,000 – 4,000 vehicles per
year and will employ some 130 people. A model factory is being
constructed in Brignoles, France.

It is estimated that the first zero pollution vehicles will be
on the market in year 2000.

Imagine pulling your car into a service station, driving right
past the gas pumps, and filling it up with air. That idea has
come one step closer to reality with the announcement that
Mexico City has purchased a fleet of 40,000 zero-pollution taxis
powered by compressed air.

The taxis, produced by Motor Development International (MDI) in
Brignoles, France, will hit the streets of Mexico City sometime
in 2001. Their two-cylinder engines, which use a combination of
heated outside air and super-compressed air stored in under-car
tanks, can travel 120 miles on each tank of air. Drivers can
fill up at a gas-station air pump in less than three minutes,
although filling up at home, using a household electricity
source, takes about four hours. Remarkably, these vehicles don't
stop at zero pollution -- they actually remove pollution from
the air. When a driver brakes, the MDI vehicle takes in polluted
air and filters it, expelling the cleaned air upon acceleration.

In addition to air, a version of MDI's engine can also use
traditional fuels at very low consumption levels. The choice of
energy source is handled electronically based on the speed of
the vehicle (below 60 kilometers per hour the car runs on air,
at higher speeds on fuel). MDI vehicles are expected to be
released internationally in 2000 at an average price of $13,000.

Just when you thought the EV1 was Mother Nature's eco-dream on
wheels, a small start-up in Brignoles, France, has built an
air-powered car that makes electrics seem like noxious
nightmares.

The company, CQFD Air Solution Sarl, is led by Guy Nègre, whose
curriculum vitae includes designing engines for lightweight
aircraft and Formula One race cars. Nègre came up with the
aircar concept seven years ago while trying to develop a
cleaner-burning engine. To power the pistons, Nègre's
two-cylinder motor uses a combination of heated outside air and
supercompressed air from tanks stored under the car. Already,
the Mexican government is planning to purchase a fleet of 40,000
compressed-air-powered taxis.

At gas-station air pumps -- where others inflate tires -- Nègre
can fillerup in less than three minutes. A tankful lasts about
120 miles. And since carbon filters scrub the expired air before
it's released, "it produces negative pollution," Nègre says.

So far, Nègre and his team of 20 engineers have developed three
prototypes -- a taxi (above), a van, and a pickup. The vehicles
are expected to receive international release in 2000 at an
average cost of $13,000.

Technical data: 2 cylinder engine, uses heated outside air
& supercompressed air from tanks under the car, can fill up
in less than 3 minutes at a gas station air pump, a tankful
lasts 120 miles.

A French engineer has invented an urban car that runs only on
the air around us. The first ZP taxi - ZP stands for zero
pollution -- will be unveiled in Provence later this month
before going into mass production in Mexico.

The inventor, Guy Negre, opened his engine laboratory at
Brignoles in the Var three years ago to perfect a motor that
runs on a tankful of compressed air. In urban road trials, his
air driven engine mounted in a Citroen AX chassis ran for 10
hours with a top speed of about 100 kmh. That is a better
performance than any electric car in production.

The Mexican version of the vehicle was designed by an Italian
company and resembles a small family saloon with a separate
compartment for the driver and four seats at the back. A Mexican
licensee, Dina, has signed a contract to produce an estimated
40,000 ZP taxis and urban delivery vehicles a year. It hopes to
replace all of Mexico City's 87,000 petrol and diesel taxis.

Mr. Negre, who worked on high-performance and Formula One
engines for 30 years, runs his business, CQFD Air Solution, with
his son, who is a former Bugatti engineer, and 16 employees just
off the Mediterranean motorway to Nice.

His silent, odour-free engine design was chosen for the world's
most polluted city after a worldwide search by the Mexican
authorities that included tests on dozens of electric and other
non-polluting experimental vehicles.

"My car was the only one totally dependent on compressed air
for city running," says Mr. Negre. "Compressed air is used to
start Formula One cars, but in this case the compressed air is
the fuel driving a motor with classic components such as pistons
and valves. But it is much lighter than the average engine."

Sixteen patents have been taken out to cover an integrated
system in which 300 litres of compressed air can be pumped into
the tank under high pressure in three minutes. The car can also
be refuelled at home in four hours by a small compressor in the
car linked to the house electricity supply. While the air is
free, the electricity used to refuel the tank at home would cost
less than $2.

The car is being studied by other countries, including the
Netherlands, because it can also clean up air that has been
polluted by petrol vehicles.

"One of the vehicles advantages is the carbon filtering system,
which means that the car sucks in the polluted surrounding air
during braking and then breathes out purified air," says Mr.
Negre.

WITH nothing more than a slight wheeze as the compressed air
tap was turned on by the driver, followed by a polite phut-phut
from its eco-friendly motor, the bright green car that might
change the way we drive in the next century set off for a run
outside the workshop in this southern French city.

Its designer, Guy Nègre, who abandoned the Formula One race
circuit to build a zero-pollution car, had reason to smile as
the vehicle accelerated as smoothly as a petrol-engined version.
The demonstration was his first answer to the scores of skeptics
who reacted critically when the Guardian Weekly first published
the news in February of a compressed-air prototype that could be
filled up for a less than $2 and run for 10 hours in urban
conditions.

From the pile of correspondence to the editor here is a quote
from Graham F Andrews, in Gresham, Oregon, USA, summing up the
skeptics' viewpoint. "In his writings on two cultures, C P Snow
drew a parallel between liberal arts types who did not know the
Second Law of Thermodynamics and technical types who had never
read Shakespeare," he wrote. "By this standard your Paul Webster
should either go back to school or be demoted to theatre
critic."

Apart from the fact that being appointed "theatre" critic
should not be considered demotion, I had to check out his theory
that it would need several thousand atmospheres to move the
vehicle and that pressure would be so high that sitting on the
air tank would be like sitting on a bomb. This big bang view is
rather important as Mexico plans to mass-produce the vehicle
under licence to replace the capital's 87,000 taxis.

Preconceptions about noisy and greasy car factories take a
knock on meeting Mr. Nègre, whose workshop in this town near the
Mediterranean beaches, is as clean as a clinic. White-coated
engineers build every component and chassis part for
brightly-coloured toy-like taxis that would appeal to Noddy.

Mr. Nègre is a down-to-earth, self-taught engine designer. At
58 he is recovering from losing a fortune developing a Formula
One motor that ran into opposition from big manufacturers. For
this reason he has no plans to take on GM or Ford with a
private-car version of the air-driven vehicle.

"There is no point in clashing with the big firms when there
are so many specialist slots to be filled," he said, before
giving technical details of a motor known as the MDI EV3 C that
uses nothing except the air around us. "The air tanks are a
special design made in carbon and are 100 percent safe. They
contain 300 litres of air at 300 bars and can be refilled in
three minutes under high pressure. The car's maximum speed is
100 km/h, and urban autonomy, with full tanks, is 10 hours."

Without taking the compressed air engine apart or sitting in
the car for 10 hours while it runs around Mexico City, there is
no reason to doubt Mr Nègre's claims, backed up by detailed
diagrams that have persuaded 160 backers in Britain and the rest
of Europe to take up shares in Motor Development International
in Luxembourg, which oversees investment.

For skeptics who want to take the argument further, Mr. Nègre
hopes to hear from them at CQFD Air Solution, Forum Aurelia,
Route du Val, 83170, Brignoles, telephone +33498-051000. E-mail:
cqfd.be@infonie.fr

In Brignoles, France, engineer Guy Negre has invented an engine
that not only runs on thin air, but improves air quality to
boot. Negre's Zero Pollution Urban Taxi covers about 200 Km on
300 L of compressed air, which is stored in tanks similar to
those used by scuba divers. In addition to a combustion chamber,
the Z.P. taxi has an expansion chamber that compresses air at
high temperatures. A small quantity of this compressed air is
then injected into the combustion chamber at room temperature,
producing a rise in pressure sufficient to drive the motor's
cylinders. Designed specifically for inner cities where
stop-and-go traffic accounts for a significant portion of
polluting emissions, Z.P. vehicles inhale a fresh supply of air
in about a minute at specially equipped service stations or
recharge in four hours at home using a small electric
compressor. The zero-pollution cars are also fitted with a
carbon filtering system that sucks in dirty air during braking.
The result: air emitted by the Z.P. engine is actually cleaner
than that of the surrounding environment.

But it may take even longer to persuade automobile
manufacturers to build it. Car companies "have a set mentality",
he says. "The have already spent a great deal of money on the
electric car, which turned out be heavy and expensive. They
don't want to listen to another new idea." The Mexican
government, on the other hand, is all ears. It's backing an
order for 40.000 Z.P. Taxis to replace the gasoline and diesel
models in Mexico City, which suffers from probably the worst air
pollution in the world due to its high altitude. Mexico's City
first pollution-free taxis will hit the streets in two years.
while they are not yet ready to displace fossil fuels,
zero-pollution vehicles can still play an important role in
reducing the level of greenhouse gases. "If we start with taxis,
then move to buses and vans, " Negre believes, "it will take
very little time to improve the pollution problem in our
cities."

US Patent # 5,592,904

Method and Devices for Controlling the Combustion of a
Four-stroke Engine

Abstract ~ Method and devices for controlling the
combustion of a four-stroke engine. For each cylinder, in
addition to the main combustion chamber, a smaller secondary
combustion chamber is provided. The secondary combustion chamber
is completely separate and independently supplied with a
compressed fuel-air mixture such that, when the mixture is
ignited, the explosion that takes place through a transfer
channel into the main combustion chamber, igniting the mixture
contained therein. The main combustion chamber is not supplied
with fuel at low speeds. Application is also contemplated for
four-stroke engines with spark or other ignition and with rotary
or valve timing.

US Patent # 6,094,915

Method and Devices for Eliminating the Pollution of Cyclic
Internal Combustion Engines with an Independent Combustion
Chamber

Abstract ~ A pollution control method and related
devices for cyclical internal combustion engines having a
separate combustion chamber (1), wherein the compression
chamber, the combustion chamber (1) and the expansion chamber
(16) consist of three separate and entirely self-contained
portions. During low-power operation, e.g. in urban traffic, the
fuel injector (6) is no longer controlled during filling of the
combustion chamber, whereby the combustion chamber is filled
with high-temperature pure compressed air at each cycle. A small
amount of additional air from an outer tank (23) for storing
highly pressurized air at room temperature is fed into the
combustion chamber substantially after the intake of compressed
air from the engine compressor, and heated as it contacts the
hot compressed air already present in the combustion chamber
(1), whereafter it expands and increases the starting pressure
to enable effective work to be produced during expansion.

US Patent # 6,305171

Method and Device for Additional Thermal Heating for Motor
Vehicle Equipped with Pollution-free Engine with Additional
Compressed Air Injection

Abstract ~ The invention concerns a method for
additional thermal heating for motor vehicle equipped with
pollution-free engine operating with additional compressed air
injection into the combustion chamber (2) and having high
pressure compressed air storage reservoir (23). The high
pressure compressed air contained in the reservoir is previously
to its final use at a lower pressure, directed towards a thermal
heater (56) to increase its pressure and/or volume before it is
injected into the combustion or expension chamber (2). The
invention is applicable to all engines equipped with compressed
air injection.

US Patent # 6,311,486

Method for Operating a Pollution-reducing Engine

Publication date: 2001-11-06
Inventor: NEGRE GUY (FR); NEGRE CYRIL (FR)
Abstract ~ A method for reducing pollution in a mono-mode
air-air combustion engine having an intake and compression
chamber, connected to a constant volume expansion chamber, which
is connected in turn to an expansion and exhaust chamber.
External air is drawn into the intake chamber and compressed to
an increased pressure and temperature. The compressed air is
transferred to the constant volume expansion chamber, wherein
additional, ambient temperature, compressed air is injected
therein. The injected air, when contacting the elevated pressure
and temperature of the compressed air causes an expansion of the
air within the constant volume expansion chamber. The energy
associated with the air expansion is transferred to the
expansion and exhaust chamber, wherein the continued compressed
air expansion produces a work force that is imparted to a
piston. The energy depleted air is then exhausted through an
exhaust value.

Abstract ~ The invention concerns an auxiliary power unit
using compressed air for energy and equipped with a motor
alternator driving, or being driven by a motor compressor with
compressed air which compresses air under high pressure in a
high pressure storage tank and which when there is a power cut
automatically drives the motor compressor in alternating mode to
supply electricity. The invention is applicable to fixed or
mobile auxiliary power units.

Inventor: NEGRE GUY (FR); NEGRE CYRIL (FR) Abstract ~ The invention concerns a method for operating
a pollution-free engine chamber by injecting supplementary
compressed air, comprising a suction and compression chamber (1)
and an expansion and exhaust chamber (4) independent of each
other, which consists in separating the pressure increase
process in said expansion chamber by dividing it into the two
chambers, an engine chamber (2A) which receives high pressure
air and a working chamber (2B) which receives the supplementary
compressed air with lower pressure, separated by a
quick-operating plug (2c) which communicates them suddenly
thereby causing, owing to difference in pressure levels, a wave
expanding the engine gas which flows into the working chamber
generating a compressive shock wave substantially increasing the
pressure level in the chamber shortly before it is communicated
with the expansion and exhaust cylinder (4) to produce a work.

Other Patents Issued to Guy Negre:

ZA200408815Variable flow reducing valve and gradual control valve
distribution system for a compressed air injection engine
operating on mono or multi energy andother engines or
compressors.

After months of rumors and tantalizing leaks Indian automaker
Tata Motors has finally unveiled the Tata Nano -- its already
legendary $2,500 car. As expected, the car that Tata claims will
change the face of not only the Indian car market, but the
global auto industry will be a four door, five seat hatch,
powered by a 30 HP Bosch 624 cc four stroke engine mounted out
back and mated to a CVT.

Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group and Tata
Motors, today unveiled the Tata 'NANO', the People's Car from
Tata Motors that India and the world have been looking forward
to. A development, which signifies a first for the global
automobile industry, the People's Car brings the comfort and
safety of a car within the reach of thousands of families. The
People's Car will be launched in India later in 2008.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the 9th Auto Expo in New
Delhi, Mr. Ratan N. Tata said, "I observed families riding on
two-wheelers - the father driving the scooter, his young kid
standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a
little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a
safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a
family. Tata Motors' engineers and designers gave their all for
about four years to realise this goal. Today, we indeed have a
People's Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet safety
requirements and emission norms, to be fuel efficient and low on
emissions. We are happy to present the People's Car to India and
we hope it brings the joy, pride and utility of owning a car to
many families who need personal mobility."

Stylish, comfortable

The People's Car, designed with a family in mind, has a roomy
passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It
can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating
position make ingress and egress easy.

Yet with a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height
of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can
effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in
rural areas. Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners
and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine
both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark
among small cars.

When launched, the car will be available in both standard and
deluxe versions. Both versions will offer a wide range of body
colours, and other accessories so that the car can be customised
to an individual's preferences.

Fuel-efficient engine

The People's Car has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium,
two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol
engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline
engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft. The
lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps
maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers
high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially
designed electronic engine management system.

Meets all safety requirements

The People's Car's safety performance exceeds current
regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a
strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as
crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong
seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the
body. Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly

The People's Car's tailpipe emission performance exceeds
regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has
a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in
India today. The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car
has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin
benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low
carbon footprint. (For more information: www.tatapeoplescar.com
)

About Tata Motors

Tata Motors is India's largest automobile company, with
revenues of US $ 7.2 billion in 2006-2007. With over 4 million
Tata vehicles plying in India, it is the leader in commercial
vehicles and the second largest in passenger vehicles. It is
also the world's fifth largest medium and heavy truck
manufacturer and the second largest heavy bus manufacturer. Tata
cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in several countries
in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia
and South America. Tata Motors and Fiat Auto have formed an
industrial joint venture in India to manufacture passenger cars,
engines and transmissions for the Indian and overseas markets;
Tata Motors also has an agreement with Fiat Auto to build a
pick-up vehicle at Córdoba, Argentina. The company already
distributes Fiat branded cars in India. Tata Motors'
international footprint includes Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle
Co. Ltd. in South Korea; Hispano Carrocera, a bus and coach
manufacturer of Spain in which the company has a 21% stake; a
joint venture with Marcopolo, the Brazil-based body-builder of
buses and coaches; and a joint venture with Thonburi Automotive
Assembly Plant Company of Thailand to manufacture and market
pick-up vehicles in Thailand. Tata Motors has research centres
in India, the U.K., and in its subsidiary and associate
companies in South Korea and Spain.

Reuters.com ( Mon Jan 7, 2008 5:50pm IST )

French compressed air car set for
take-off in India

by Pierre Thebault

CARROS, France - A car that runs on air?

What seemed like a pipe dream may soon become reality as
Frenchman Guy Negre hopes versions of his compressed air car
will be produced in India this year by Tata Motors Ltd after a
15 year quest for backers for his invention.

Negre believes the time is right for his design with oil prices
at record highs and pressure on carmakers to improve the fuel
efficiency of their vehicles.

"It is clear that with oil at $100 a barrel this will force
people to change their use of fuel and pollute less," Negre told
Reuters in an interview at his firm Motor Development
International (MDI), based near Nice in the south of France.

"My car is zero pollution in town and almost no pollution on
the highways," he added, saying the vehicle could travel 100
kilometres at a cost of one euro in fuel.

The former Formula One motor racing engineer's invention
depends on pressurised air to move the pistons, which in turn
help to compress the air again in a reservoir. The engine also
has an electric motor, which needs to be periodically recharged,
to top up the air pressure.

The bottles of compressed air -- similar to those used by
divers -- can be filled up at service stations in several
minutes.

EXTENDED RANGE

The latest versions of the cars -- MDI made an entire series of
prototypes of engines and vehicles -- also include a fuel engine
option to extend the car's range when not in reach of a special
power plug or service station.

Tata, India's largest carmaker with revenue of $7.2 billion in
its last financial year, concluded a deal in 2007, investing 20
million euros. Pre-production in India is set for 2008, Negre
said.

The vehicle, protected by some 50 patents, will cost some 3,500
to 4,000 euros. Using composite materials, it will weigh not
more than 330 kilos and its maximum speed is 150 kilometres per
hour.

"The lighter the vehicle, the less it consumes and the less its
pollutes and the cheaper it is; it's simple," Negre said.

MDI's models which typically have a rounded shape a bit like a
speech balloon in a cartoon include the Minicat urban vehicle,
the Citycat for longer distances with an added tank for ethanol,
diesel or bio-fuel and a taxi version.

Negre said he aimed to set up mini factories in regions where
the car is used. "No transport, no parts suppliers. Everything
will be made at the place of sale in production units that can
make one car per half hour," said Negre.

"That is more profitable, more ecological than the big
factories of the large carmakers."

Negre is not the only inventor working on compressed air
engines. Urugay's Armando Regusci, Australia's Angelo di Pietro
and South Korea's Chul-Seung Cho have also produced designs.

But Negre has the backing of Tata, whose global ambitions were
last week underscored when it was named preferred buyer of the
Jaguar and Land Rover brands from Ford Motor Co.